Hoax 999 suspect arrested while still on phone to police in the Black Country
The man was arrested after his mobile phone was traced - but not before a police helicopter was sent to investigate his claims.
A suspected hoax 999 caller was arrested while still on the phone to police after a false claim was made about a Black Country drugs farm.
The man was detained when his mobile phone was traced to an address in Tividale today - but not before a helicopter was sent to investigate the non-existent cannabis farm.
West Midlands Police's contact centre took an emergency call at 3.49am from a person claiming to be witnessing a gang harvesting cannabis and moving plants into a vehicle in Tividale.
The police helicopter was asked to fly over the address to check for any suspicious activity and a response vehicle also deployed.
All was quiet in the cul-de-sac, which led the call handler to suggest the report may be linked to other malicious calls the team had taken in recent weeks.
The phone used to contact officers was soon traced to a property in Tividale and dog handler Pc Gez Cotter was diverted to the property with Police Dog Ellis.
When Pc Cotter arrived he found a man inside the address still on the line to a police call handler.
A 25-year-old man was arrested on suspicion of malicious communications and wasting police time. He remained in police custody this afternoon for questioning.
Police contact centre manager, Chief Inspector Kristian Starynskyj, said: “We believe the man has a liking for giving the police and other emergency services the run-around.
"It’s totally unacceptable. People like this clog up our phone lines and divert resources away from genuine emergencies where people may be in desperate need of help.
“Anyone who makes hoax calls needs to prepare themselves for spending time in a police cell and potentially a prison cell. We won’t tolerate malicious callers.”
